Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Semi-Final
Rangers v Heart of Midlothian
Sunday, 21 April 2024, kick off 3:00pm
Hampden Park

The second Semi-Final sees Rangers take on Heart of Midlothian live on Premier Sports.

It is the first time the sides have met in the competition since the 2022 Scottish Cup Final which went all the way to extra-time before Rangers eventually prevailed 2-0, with goals through Ryan Jack and Scott Wright. 

Previous Meetings 

Rangers hold the advantage in the head-to-heads this season, coming out on top in all four meetings behind the sides. One of those meetings came at the National Stadium in the League Cup Semi-Final, when a James Tavernier double and strike from Wright gave the Gers a 3-1 win.

Prior to that 2022 Scottish Cup Final, their previous meeting in this cup competition came in February 2020. Oliver Bozanic scored the only goal of the game as Hearts defeated Steven Gerrard's Rangers 1-0 at Tynecastle.

Their previous meeting in a final prior to 2022 was also a Hearts victory back in 1998 when goals from Colin Cameron and Stephane Adam gave Hearts a 2-1 win at Celtic Park.

Cup Form 

Hearts were given a scare in the Fourth Round when James Craigen's spectacular goal pulled Spartans level and it remained 1-1 until the last minute when Frankie Kent settled a tight contest with a header. 

Airdrieonians looked a tough prospect in the next round but Steven Naismith's side blew them away with three goals in the opening 21 minutes setting them on their way to a 4-1 victory. 

It was a third successive away match for the Jambos in the Quarter-Final, this time against another Championship side in Greenock Morton. Hearts' goalkeeper Craig Gordon had to be at his best on a couple of occasions as the Ton enjoyed good spells but - with the match seemingly heading towards extra-time - Kenneth Vargas popped up with a late winner.

Rangers began their campaign against League Two Dumbarton, in stormy conditions, eventually running out 4-1 victors. 

A home match against Ayr United came next and Borna Barisic and Fabio Silva were on target in a comfortable win.

They faced a challenge away to Easter Road against Hibs in the Quarter-Final but a mature display from Philippe Clement's team saw them to a 2-0 victory. John Lundstram bundled home the opener after David Marshall saved James Tavernier's penalty and Silva added a second after the hosts had been reduced to nine men.

Pre-match thoughts

Hearts manager Steven Naismith: "Since I’ve been here as a player, we’ve done well and gotten to the later stages of competitions. The one thing that’s missing now is going on to win one. The games are hard and it’s all about having calm heads to get through those moments.

“We’ve learned from mistakes in the past this season and hopefully we can do that again on Sunday. We’re a much different team than the last semi-final. Our forms been excellent since December.

“The next stage is getting on to win trophies, it’s all I’m thinking about. We want that opportunity to win that trophy. It’s good making two semi-finals, it’s even better winning them."

Rangers manager Philippe Clement: "It’s always exciting to be in a semi-final to be so close to a final and to go to Hampden.

"We had a good experience there and we’re now two games away from a trophy so everybody is really excited about it. If you win ten games in row then you always have more belief than if you lose two times.

"But this is Rangers. It’s a club where you always need to win and every point you lose, it’s like you are going to hell. That’s this world, it’s the challenge and it’s good.

“It’s now interesting to see which players can live in that way but it’s an exciting place to be because on the other side, you can go to heaven when you win games and trophies. They’re hungry. There’s a desire to have a new game to prove themselves. That’s the case and also what I expect.”

How to Watch

The match will be live on Premier Sports, with extended highlights on BBC Scotland at 7:15pm.

Match Programmes 

Programmes are available now through Ignition Sport Media.

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